People cite rules for SQ 788 as reason for signing recreational marijuana petitions

People cite rules for SQ 788 as reason for signing recreational marijuana petitions

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Updated: 5:35 PM CDT Jul 16, 2018

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WEBVTT THEY SHOW WHY THEY FEEL THEY HAVE MORE MOMENTUM. THE VOTE IS GATHERI WITH A HOPE OF PUTTING RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA ON THE BALLOT. >> THEY HAVE COLLECTED 400,000 SIGNATURES. >> THEY CANNOT TOUCH THESE. >> IT IS AN OKLAHOMA CITY INTERSECTION. ONE OF THEM IS BILLY JACKSON AND HE DID NOT ORIGINALLY SUPPORT RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA. IT SCARES ME. WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO DO? >> THE DESTROYED THIS AND LET US KNOW CHOICE. THE BOA OF -- >> THEY WOULD CALL ME AND SAY, COME AND GET ME SOME MORE

People cite rules for SQ 788 as reason for signing recreational marijuana petitions

It's hard to miss the flag in northwest Oklahoma City where the group Green the Vote is gathering signatures from registered voters.

The group's goal is to get recreational marijuana on the November ballot. On Sunday, the group announced that it's collected more than 104,000 signatures; it needs almost 124,000 signatures to get State Question 797 on the ballot.

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The group's efforts continued Monday, with several people at the intersection of Northwest Expressway and North Meridian Avenue signing the petitions to get State Questions 796 and 797 on the ballot.

Some people said they signed the new petitions because of the rules Health Department officials passed for State Question 788, which legalized medical marijuana in the Sooner State. Like the current effort, State Question 788 got onto a ballot because its petition received enough signatures.

One of those people is Billie Jackson, who originally didn't support recreational marijuana but said she signed State Question 797 because her granddaughter suffers from epileptic seizures. Jackson said she feels the Board of Health went too far changing the medical marijuana rules.

"It scares me. So what else is there to do? Vote it in 100 percent," Jackson said.

Green the Vote officials said they feel voters are coming out and signing their petitions as a direct response to the Health Department's actions last week. The rules that officials passed and Gov. Mary Fallin signed include a ban on sales of smokable medical marijuana at dispensaries and requiring a pharmacist to be at dispensaries.

"I would drop off a petition and leave and go to another store and they would say, 'Joh, come up and get me more petitions.' I had to leave three and four at the stores because I just couldn't keep up," said John Frasure, with Green the Vote.

The group has until Aug. 8 to get the required votes for the State Questions 796 and 797 to be on the November ballot.